U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday apparently wrapped up his second day of talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi in Washington, with the meetings taking place about three weeks ahead of a potential summit between the presidents of the countries.
Wang, the most senior foreign policy official in China's Communist Party, was seen exiting the State Department after the closed-door meeting with Blinken in the morning and entering his hotel near the White House.
It is not immediately known what Blinken and Wang discussed on Friday. But as they kicked off their talks on Thursday evening in the presence of media, the two agreed on the need to deepen bilateral dialogue despite many disagreements, so as to help minimize misunderstanding and stabilize relations.
Wang, who doubles as foreign minister, is scheduled to meet separately with U.S. President Joe Biden's top national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Friday.
The flurry of meetings is widely seen as part of a months-long effort by Washington and Beijing to lay the groundwork for the first face-to-face talks in a year between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
If all goes smoothly, the summit will likely be held on the sidelines of this year's leaders' meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping, which Biden will chair in mid-November in San Francisco.
Since Xi last landed on U.S. soil in April 2017, the U.S.-China relationship has become even more tense and complicated, with disagreements on issues spanning from Taiwan and the South China Sea to trade restrictions and human rights.
The two countries also take different positions on Russia's war on Ukraine and the conflict that erupted earlier this month between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Nonetheless, the United States and China have both recognized the importance of managing disputes appropriately and ensuring their intense competition does not veer into conflict.
Blinken, who is hosting Wang's three-day visit to Washington through Saturday, traveled to Beijing in June. The top U.S. diplomat also met with Xi during the trip, which was the first Cabinet-level visit to China since the Biden administration began in January 2021.
Considering the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations, Wang is likely to have a chance to meet with Biden before leaving the U.S. capital.
